1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a riding simulator of the type including an artificial horse body which can closely simulate the basic stepping actions of a real horse.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, riding machines using artificial horse bodies have been commercially available for amusement as used in merry-go-rounds in amusement parks. As will be easily found on riding of such a riding machine, it is quite different in movement from a real horse. More specifically, in the above prior art riding machines, some carry out a complicated movement of the artificial horse body comprising a circular motion which is the synchronous combination of a vertical motion and a longitudinal motion, while most of them are limited to a linear motion only in a vertical or longitudinal direction. Even in the riding machine capable of a circular motion, to say nothing of the one limited only to a linear motion, the length of swing (i.e. the radius of the circular motion) is fixed, and no phase difference between the vertical motion and the longitudinal motion has been taken into consideration. Only the rotational speed of a driving motor for driving the horse body has been designed to be manually controlled so as to increase a feeling of speed-up.
Furthermore, in such a prior art riding machine, the rider cannot give any aids to the horse body. More specifically, it is impossible for the rider to control the horse body by giving signs to the abdomen of the horse body through his legs or to the head of the horse body through reins so as to start the horse body, change the gait, or stop the horse body.
In actual riding, however, there are three kinds of gaits: walk, trot and canter. The gaits are different from each other in the number and length of swing and in phase difference between the vertical motion and longitudinal motion of the horse body. Thus, in order to obtain a riding feeling close to the riding on a real horse, it is necessary to drive the horse body at the number and length of swing and the phase difference commensurate with each gait and to permit control of the horse body such as for starting, change of gaits and stopping thereof by aids given through legs of the rider or reins.
It can be said that the prior art riding machine is used just as a playing machine and never has such functions as to provide a real riding feeling.
In these years, there is a tendency of increasing the number of people who want to acquire riding technique. If a beginner of riding rides on a real horse, his riding posture and aids through shift of his weight are incorrect and unstable at first. This may cause disorder of training of the real horse or increase stress of the real horse, so that, in some cases, the real horse may turn restive, causing a fall of the rider therefrom. This has been a significant difficulty for beginners to acquire proper riding technique.
However, the movement of the prior art riding machine is quite different from the stepping action of a real horse, as described above, so that such a prior art riding machine cannot be used for training of riding. Therefore, it has been long desired to provide an artificial horse body which can closely simulate the stepping action of a real horse so as to permit proper and ready acquirement of the riding technique.